Commitment
by goodwitch08
Summary: During one of their nights together Rufus wonders when their relationship got this far. Elena is tired of hiding it and Rufus considers ending it. When an opportunity reveals itself Rufus takes it upon himself to let those closest to them in on a secret.


**_Goodwitch08:Hi there! I had been mulling over this scenario for a sometime now and I've given it alot of thought. At first I wasn't going to write this, but finally, I decided to. I like to think of this as a small attempted venture into the complex mind of Rufus Shinra. Also, you should know, this is only going to be one chapter. My main focus is on _Flux _(hello there subliminal advertising) and this was just a little "plot bunny" that wouldn't leave me alone. __I feel like there is something else I should say before letting you read but I guess not. Without further ado, here is the story. Enjoy!_**

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**-Commitment-**

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She breathed softly and evenly, her chest could barely be seen rising and falling beneath the sheets. Her blond hair fell gently over her face but he knew she was smiling in her sleep. The curve of her upturned lips could be felt in his skin against his bare chest as she was resting her head on it. The otherwise dark bedroom was illuminated by the silver glow of the moon, its light shined against her hair giving it a golden glow. Elena sighed contently and shifted slightly, tightening her half embrace around his waist. While she was asleep her partner wasn't, instead he was spending his night watching her. One of his arms was draped around her bare shoulders, with his free hand he found her hand beneath the sheets and touched the tip of her fingers. A soft laugh emitted from her and for a moment he thought she'd awakened from the contact but instead she merely brought herself even closer to him. The warmth of her warm skin against his body reminded him of just how real this was.

_How did he let this happen?_

Rufus pushed the thought away, he did not want to bother with the technicalities, he was trying to do like Elena had insisted: just live in the moment, try not to think of the consequences. That was easy enough but not when it came to her. A strand of blond hair fell into his face, he sighed and pushed it back. What was he going to do about this situation? He'd let his feelings get in the way. As long as no one knew of it, it would be fine right? No. He was not that naive. He was not Elena. He couldn't and wouldn't see the completely optimistic outlook on this. This was not a good idea was it.

With another sigh he leaned against the headboard and cradled her closer to him. What if someone knew of their relationship? Their nights together? That would put her in danger would it not?

Rufus rolled his eyes at his own stupid thought. Danger? She was in danger everyday for Shiva's sake. She was a Turk, her life expectancy wasn't even really that long, especially a young woman like her. She was always overeager and got herself in unnecessary predicaments. He couldn't just tell her to quit her job and become something ridiculous and utterly off putting like a secretary. She would be eternally unhappy at a desk job and besides he loved that about her. He could just see her glaring at him with those deep chocolate brown eyes of hers and stomping her feet a little if he even suggested the change of job positions. She would probably even use a few expletives here and there.

He chuckled softly at the thought and turned his ,usually cold, blue eyes towards the large window. The moon hung low in the sky from what he could see through the expensive thin curtains. Elena stirred and pushed her body closer to his. It would have been so easy to end things before they got so serious. The only real danger she was in was of having her heart broken by a cold man that didn't exactly like intimate contact, or any real human contact unless it was completely necessary. He'd actually tried to break things off before they got seriously involved but she really didn't really get the hint to back off. Honestly, he could not even imagine stopping things now, maybe it was a little selfish of him but he was really enjoying her company.

What was it about her anyway? Was it her smile? The way it lit up a room with how genuine and open it was? Was it her laugh? That laugh that could get so outrageous that it would cause anyone within hearing range to start laughing too? Was it her tendency to ramble on and on without end unless someone stopped her, especially when she was nervous? Usually that would have annoyed him to no end. Why would anyone want to be around someone that talked too much about the most random things at the worst possible moments? He should have lost interest in her a long time ago like he did with most things. It was absurd how this girl had latched on to his heart, which many honestly thought he did not have, and wormed her way into his affections. Even if he wanted to push her away and pretend that none of this every happened, could he even do it?

She moved slightly, even closer to him. If she moved any more their bodies would surely become one in a literal sense. He gazed down at her with an expression across handsome features that no one had ever seen, not even Elena; it wasn't harsh, annoyed, calculating, sadistic, smug, or bored. He gazed down at her with a soft, concerned expression that for a split second—only for a split second—made him seem vulnerable. He was never vulnerable of course. He is Rufus Shinra. Therefore he could not be vulnerable. He'd come to terms that a relationship could cause unwanted fluctuations in otherwise totally controllable situations and he was fine with that. Besides, what fun was normalcy and total control? His intense appreciation and affection for this woman was something he knew he couldn't control, even if she was his employee. And honestly, he wasn't sure if he should condemn it or like it. He would have to allow a little loss of control but was that a good thing? Yes, maybe. He had accepted a new logic: by him accepting this insecure addition to his life, he was in fact in complete control of it.

_What was this new feeling that had begun to creep into his subconscious?_

Rufus noticed all of her hair had fallen into her face. He gently tucked it behind her ear, relishing the feeling of her soft warm skin under his fingers. It satisfied him to know that he was the only one to have ever touched her skin or to hold her or to be intimate with in such ways. What would surprise her however, was that she should be contented with the same fact, about him. A ghost of a smile tugged at his lips, Elena's hand had found his. She separated his fingers so that hers could fit in perfectly with thus intertwining their fingers.

"You're awake."

Elena's eyes opened slightly and created brown slits. The slits opened wider until her eyes were completely open though they were heavy with the effects of sleep, it reminded him of a tired kitten. She smiled brightly at him and then her cheeks turned a nice shade of pink. "I haven't been awake for long. Why are you awake?" she asked, adverting her eyes to the dark room instead of at his eyes.

Rufus smiled to himself. Regardless of the fact that there was nothing more to hide from each other, psychically at least, she still had the modesty to blush in these situations. How could he ever wipe away her lingering insecurities? Did he even want to? "I was thinking."

"Oh?" those brown eyes found his again. He wanted to demand that she kept eye contact with him at all times but he refrained from doing so. "About what?" she put her head back against Rufus chest.

"You." he stared at the top of her blond head, waiting for the reaction he knew would come next after she let it sink in as to what he said. Meanwhile he contented himself with running the tip of his fingers across her shoulders, bare side and back.

"Oh? Why?" she looked up curiously at him. Her eyebrow arched innocently and a small unsure smile played on her lips. Elena's eyes searched his face for answers.

Rufus arranged his expression so that she could not read it even if she wanted to. Instead he pulled her to level with him and took her into his embrace. Her eyes had almost lost all of its tiredness and were wide with anticipation. He couldn't help but smirk at her. How could someone so dangerous pull off being so innocent and naive sometimes? He sometimes believed those to be tactics so that everyone would underestimate her, but then again that probably wasn't the case. Maybe all of it was true.

"Do I need a reason to think about you?" his soft tone dropped low as he whispered the answer into her ear. He felt her body tremble like a leaf in the wind for a moment, he had achieved the desired affect. Before she could answer the rhetorical question, like he knew she would, he took action. He kissed her gently, a relieved sigh escaped her as their lips met. Their mouths melted together in a familiar way that was reinvented every time. He caught her hands as they attempted to reach his hair as the heat of their embrace intensified. He intertwined their fingers instead and chuckled. A unspoken game of theirs: she always tried to mess up his unnaturally perfect hair when he was distracted. He caught her every time.

_There is only one thing that could be better than kissing her..._

She leaned into his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her close and deepened their kiss. Every little sensation roused their senses. The feeling of her hands traveling over his bare chest and back sent a tingle through every nerve ending. He traced her small frame and curves with familiarity and appreciation, which sent electricity pulsing through her tired body.

_...and that is making love to her._

They pulled away slowly, enjoying the last moments of their kiss. Elena smiled at Rufus brightly once again. His smiled back and traced the side of her face with his hand, he followed her jaw line as if he was appraising her. Her cheeks turned a bright red, he could literally feel the heat burning radiating from her skin. She looked away from him.

"Elena.." he turned her face back towards him. "Look at me, I don't bite." he was serious but threw in a perfectly placed chuckle to avoid striking up a confrontation about something that had been bothering him. She could never really be completely loose with him could she? What was it about himself that could get her so tightly wound? Who is he kidding? He knew the effect he had on people. Why couldn't she be different in that respect? Regardless of how serious their relationship got, he knew she never forgot who he was and what he was capable of doing. He would never be just Rufus and she would never be just Elena. He'd toyed with the prospect of firing her just so they would not have to hide their relationship.

"I know..I'm just sleepy, sir." she smiled sheepishly. She stretched her muscles while staying comfortably in his embrace and opened her mouth partially in a soft yawn. Rufus said nothing, he merely allowed her to rest her head back on his chest. He rested his chin against her hair and stroked her hair. Inwardly he was not pleased with the fact that she still had the habit of calling him 'sir' when they were not at work. Could she not see the line between professional and personal? Maybe he was not seeing this from her point of view, but how could he? Regardless of what people sometimes thought, he could not read minds. Though, he could read people very well, which was somewhat interchangeable perhaps.

_How long could this last?_

Rufus was pulled from his reverie by a grating guitar solo accompanied by a woman with raspy vocals. His eyes fell on Elena's small silver cellphone on the bedside table, the light from the phone had come on and a number was displayed on the screen. He reminded himself to tell Elena to change her ring tone to something more acceptable. Preferably no ring tone at all, if she couldn't stand the sound of a normal ringing perhaps she should put it on vibrate. In spite of the fact that the phone had interrupted their moment, a smile tugged at his lips. Elena was humming along to the words and soon began singing them.

What was he thinking about only a few minutes ago? The atmosphere had changed with the sound of that phone ringing. He pushed the thought away and put his attention to her instead.

"Rufus?" she opened her eyes and groaned with the air of a person that would rather be asleep and not having her phone ringing. It took will power to stop himself from smirking at her expense, she was so attractive when she was annoyed or angry. He too was annoyed by the interruption, but he was more interested in who was calling her at this hour to dwell on it. In any other situation he would have told her to cut it off without answering, but he had a plan.

"Hmm?" he reached for her phone and placed it in her outstretched hand. He already knew what she was about to ask for.

"Thank you for giving me the phone."she sat up slightly and adjusted the sheets around her chest, as they had begun to slip down.

"Of course." he replied amicably.

Elena opened the phone and a smile crossed her features, she rolled her eyes. "Reno? Hi!"

It was not surprising to either of them that the Turk was calling and more than likely his partner and best friend Rude was with him and they were at a bar. Now how true would that turn out to be?

"Put it on speaker." Rufus murmured in her ear and wrapped his arms around her waist. He pulled her into his lap, causing her to to gasp in surprise. Once she was nestled comfortably between his legs and her bare back was against his chest he embraced her again, from behind, in his warmth and silently waited.

"Right..." she giggled insecurely. He pressed his lips against her right left shoulder and trailed little kisses up to her neck. She laughed loudly and quickly covered the receiver on her phone. "Stop doing that ,sir, it tickles."

He smiled against her skin at her response and obeyed her request, though his lips stayed placed in the junction between her neck and shoulders. Elena ran a hand through her hair, causing the short blond bob to become even more mussed up than it had been before. He smoothed her hair down and readjusted their position slightly.

"Reno? You're still there right?" she pressed the button that changed the call from private to public.

"Of course I am Laney." Reno's voice was full of humor and he was speaking louder than he'd normally would. Sounds in the background confirmed their suspicions. Yes, Reno was in fact in a bar.

"Hi, what are you up to? Is Rude there too? And Tseng?" Elena asked.

Reno's laughter filled the room for a moment until he stopped. One could only imagine what he thought was so funny, then again, when someone was buzzed they would laugh at almost anything wouldn't they? But Reno was a different kind of drunk, he still had all of his wits about him even if he had already taken in thirty full bottles. Rufus glanced at the digital clock on the bed stand.

**1:59.**

With a quick calculation, he came to the conclusion that the red head had most likely consumed a mere ten bottles when the time they left work was divided by the rate of his drinking and the mood he was in. The final conclusion: Reno was far from drunk. He turned his attention back to the conversation.

"Eh, Rude's here. Being as boring _as ever_!" he stressed the last few words. Rude could be heard sighing in the background, and most likely rolling his eyes under those ever present black glasses. "Right Rudekins?"

"Rudekins?" Rude and Elena questioned the new nickname at the same time.

Rufus quirked an eyebrow. What kind of stupidity did his Turks come up with? He made a mental note to slyly address the quieter Turk by his new name when the opportunity arose.

"Yeah, some crazy chick at work called him that earlier. I felt that it was worth annoying him with." Reno explained casually. "Anyway..Tseng's not here. We begged and begged and begged and begged and begged-"

"Okay okay." Elena laughed. "I get it, you begged."

"Well yeah." Reno clucked his tongue. "Laney, we begged him but he said he had something else to do tonight."

"Like what?"

"Maybe he went to get some rest unlike those two." Rufus commented aloud.

Reno was silent for a moment. "What was that?"

"I didn't say anything." Elena's voice rose two decibels, a clear sign when she was hiding something. She looked back at Rufus shooting him a wide eyed look and put her fingers to her lips.

"Oh did I do something wrong?" Rufus looked back at her with faux innocence. _He wanted to take a risk._

"Elena is that a guy I hear in the background?" Reno sounded a little confused. Rufus motioned to Elena, who was still looking back at him with wide eyes, to keep talking. She blinked and turned back around. He pulled her closer and kissed her hair.

"What?" she drew the word out in a way that was a little too innocent to be believable. "Of course not silly. I'm in bed. " she nodded. "I'm in bed watching television."

Reno was silent once again. From the way the sounds suddenly grew muffled, it was clear that Reno had put his hand over the receiver and was probably holding a conversation with Rude about what he thought he had heard. Elena put her hand over the receiver as well and looked back at Rufus.

"What are you doing? He can hear you y'know."

"I know." Rufus replied, giving a brief kiss to her lips. He knew just a little of that would make her forget the fact that he kept making himself known.

"So why..are you doing ..it..?" she could barely speak with his lips pressed against hers.

"Hey, Laney?"

Reno was back. There was something strangely ironic about this whole situation. Rufus released her lips and let her continue her conversation. He contented himself with distributing well placed kisses on her collarbone and neck. He knew it was hard for her to act as if everything was normal and she was at her apartment instead of at his home in his bed and he was sure it was even harder to do that when he was engaging her senses with his subtle yet powerful caresses. He had to admit, he enjoyed the affect he could have over her without hardly doing anything at all.

"Ye-..yeah?" Elena coughed. "Yeah?"

"Since you're not doing anything, how about you come out to drink with us? I can send directions to your phone. Its better than sitting around when its not even late! I mean what could you possibly be doing that is better than hanging out with me and ole Rude here? _Or are you doing Tseng?"_

"What?!" Elena almost dropped the phone. Classic reaction. Rufus had to give Reno congratulations for that little comment he tacked onto the end of his speech. "No I am not! Its--"

It was time for him to seal the deal.

Rufus pulled the phone out of Elena's hand, she grabbed for it but he held it up out of her reach until she gave up. Now she stared at him with incredulous eyes. What was he about to do?

"Elena, you there? What were you about to say? Woohoo?"

Rufus rolled his eyes. "Hello, Reno. I don't think the lady wants to come out tonight."

"Rufus?! What the hell? What are you doing with Laney?!"

_Click. _Rufus snapped the phone shut. He was immensely satisfied with the reaction from Reno and he was more than pleased that he'd recognized his voice.

"Rufus?" Elena didn't know what to say. Her brown eyes searched his face for answers. She sat there confused and worried. Why did he just do that?

The opportunity had presented itself and he took it. He took that risk and now Reno was bound to be asking questions come Monday. Rufus knew how much she hated hiding their relationship, it had become visibly stressful on her at work. Especially for a woman that couldn't even keep her mouth shut about confidential missions at Shin-Ra. He'd noticed her slight sadness in her eyes when he would walk past her and act as if she were not there, or at least as if she were just another employee. She'd never verbally expressed it but she was extremely easy to read. At first he couldn't understand why she would want to complicate things even further by allowing anyone else to know about their affair. Now he thinks he might have figured it out. He just wanted her to be happy with him. At this point he was almost beginning to believe he would do anything for her. That did not mean he was losing control.

"You're wondering why I just did that aren't you." he pulled her back down to his side and turned toward her, propping himself up slightly on his elbow.

"Well yeah!" Elena's back was resting against the head board now. "Why?" she nibbled her bottom lip, was worried and nervous.

"It presents an opportunity to inform them of what has been going on between their boss and their friend doesn't it?" Rufus pushed his blond hair from his face. Elena frowned slightly in confusion. He continued. "It makes more sense than one of us just randomly saying one day that you and I are having sex."

Elena blushed and looked away from him towards the window for a moment. She lifted herself from the headboard and hugged her knees under the sheets. He waited for her response.

"Yeah I guess it does." she said softly, almost to herself. "Its..more than just.._that _right?" she glanced at him and quickly out of the slightly parted curtains.

"Well of course it is." Rufus watched her. She looked down at the sheets and picked at her nails, a thoughtful frown on her face. It was times like these when he wished he truly could read her mind. "What are you thinking?"

She looked up at him with a bright smile and lay back onto the bed with a thud. Her hair fell wildly into her face and she didn't bother moving it. "I was trying to figure out their reactions."

"Oh." Rufus hadn't even really thought about what they would say in response to their announcement. "And?"

"Well." the face of yellow hair turned to him. Rufus chuckled and moved her hair away from her face. "First I have a question."

"I'm listening."

Elena smiled slightly. "We're telling only our friends right? Reno, Rude, and Tseng?" she paused. Rufus nodded for her to go on. "Well then anyway, I would just love to see their reactions...yeah." she trailed off, wondering if she should continue or not.

"Well do you have an idea?" Rufus prompted her.

"Yep!" Elena's eyes brightened. "Reno would say something like, 'No way Laney! You're banging Shinra?!' " she was slightly embarrassed from that statement but there was a ring of truth to it. There was no denying that Reno would say something that inappropriate. Rufus coughed slightly but said nothing. Elena decided to continue. " Rude would probably be silent for a long time and then say 'for how long? I would have never expected it.' "

Rufus nodded. "And what would Tseng say?"

Elena was silent for a moment, she looked up at the ceiling. "I dunno..Tseng's a hard one.." she nibbled her bottom lip and searched the ceiling for answers.

"He would probably dissaprove."

She sighed and nodded. "Why do you say that?" her eyes stayed focused on the ceiling.

"Because he's overly protective of you." he frowned slightly. Tseng was a problem true. He knew there had been something going on between Elena and him before they even knew it themselves. Elena once had an amazingly sickening infatuation for Tseng. He was not envious of this, not at all, because in the end he had won her did he not? But that fact still remained and it wasn't even so long ago that he could wave it away and forget about it. Did she still have feelings for Tseng? He wouldn't put it past her nor did he hold it against her. He knew once the truth came out, Tseng wouldn't over step his bounds but Rufus also was not content with the fact that Tseng had begun to be attracted to her as well. How had he known this? He didn't even have to read the man to know that. He had told him that himself, because they were something of confidants even if Rufus hardly ever told him anything personal at all. He wondered, did she ever compare them? Maybe sometimes she thought she would be better off with someone near her level instead of someone who was her boss utterly and completely? Maybe he could agree with that to some extent, there would be no shock value to a relationship between Elena and Tseng.

He sighed and pushed the thought away, that would open up an entirely new set of things to mull over instead of resting now wouldn't it. He would never get to sleep if he continued to pester himself with pointless questions, right? It was useless and energy draining to mull over such a stupid thought.

He opened his mouth to speak again. Elena's eyes were closed now and a small smile played on her lips. "Elena?"

"Sir?" she answered him, he could hear the sleepiness creeping back into her voice.

"Never mind." He was totally_ secure_ in his endeavor, he did not _need_ reassurance.

"Mmmmh okay." She moaned sleepily, let out a content sigh, and turned her back to him. Soon, he knew, she would be asleep.

Rufus slid his arms around her and pressed his lips to her hair, inhaling the gentle scent of her fruit based shampoo and conditioner. He closed his eyes and willed sleep to come.

Tomorrow they would just have to see. He did this for her, not for him. If it was only him involved he would have rather kept this a secret until it ended. _If it ended_. But, he reasoned, there was nothing much he could do about it now was there? He never regretted anything he had ever done and he definitely did not regret allowing this to happen. It was just a matter of circumstance. He could have ended this tonight if he had wanted to, or perhaps several months ago, or he could have fired her as soon as he had begun to have feelings for her. But he didn't. He couldn't. Why? Maybe it was a simple matter that he hadn't figured out yet. Or maybe it was something much more complicated and foreign to him.

_Maybe it was a matter of commitment._

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**_GW08: Don't forget to give me some feedback . _**


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